World Suicide Prevention Day ~~ September 10th #stopsuicide #depression

World Suicide Prevention Day is held on September 10, 2013. It is an awareness day which is observed every year, in order to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world. The observance is endorsed by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The World Suicide Prevention Day was founded in 2003

From Kristin Brooks Hope Center 

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Suicidal behavior is complex, as some risk factors vary with age, gender, and ethnic group and may even change over time. The risk factors for suicide frequently occur in combination. Research has shown that more than 90% of people who commit suicide have depression or another diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder.

The number one cause of suicide is untreated depression. A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the whole body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person feels about oneself and the way one thinks about things. The taking of ones own life tragically demonstrates the terrible psychological pain experienced by a person who has lost all hope – a person who is no longer able to cope with day to day activities – a person who feels there is no solution to their problem – a person who wants to end the pain by ending their own life.

Much of this kind of suffering is unnecessary. Depression is treatable and as a result, suicide is preventable. Love yourself or a friend enough not to keep thoughts of suicide a secret. If you or a friend of yours is thinking of ending the pain by ending your own life, this is not a secret to keep. Talk to your family, friends or other special people in your life. They can help you find solutions to your problems and to see ways to cope with your pain without ending your life. Help is just a phone call away: 1.800.SUICIDE (784-2433)

Things to know about suicide:

•  90% of people who commit suicide have depression or another diagnosable  mental illness or substance abuse disorder

•  The number one cause of suicide is untreated depression

•  Suicide has ranked at the 3 rd leading cause of death for young people nationally

•  There are three female attempts for every male attempt at suicide. However, males are four times as likely to die from their attempts

What to do if a friend or loved one is suicidal:

•  Let that person know you are concerned about their well-being, and that you have observed certain clues that have made you think that they may want to hurt themselves. Ask them if they are depressed or suicidal.

•  Listen to your friend, and keep in mind that you must stay calm. Your friend will more than likely be relived that someone noticed their pain, and cared enough to confront them and talk about it.

•  Support your friend unconditionally. While you cannot make someone choose to live, and while you aren't responsible for their life, you can support them and show them that you care while giving them ideas about other choices.

•  Remind this friend that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

•  Be honest with your friend and they will trust your input. Let them know you want to help them, even if it involves calling an adult or a hotline. Call them in front of your friend if necessary.

•  Call 9-1-1 if you feel their suicide threat is immediate.

Your Story Is Not Over Yet ; Survive Today #suicideprevention #noselfharm

Be a survivor; Not a statistic!

Be free like the Butterfly

Fly free from this pain &

Write your own story!

Stay Strong!

The Butterfly Project: THE RULES:
1. when you feel like you want to cut, take a marker or pen and draw a butterfly wherever the self-harm occurs.
2. name the butterfly after a loved one, or someone that really wants you to get better.
3. NO scrubbing the butterfly off.
4. if you cut before the butterfly is gone, it dies. if you don't cut, it lives.
5. if you have more than one, cutting kills them all.
6. another person may draw them on you. these butterflies are extra special. take good care of them.
7. even if you don’t cut, feel free to draw a butterfly anyways, to show your support.

Help is just around the corner, never to late to find! A razor leaves a crimson stain, but the pain is still there, find help for the deep rooted reasons you are cutting and turn the crimson into good.

A Poem;

http://butterfly-project.tumblr.com/post/55907257337/the-butterfly-a-poem

Picking up a razor, I gaze at my arm.
Thus begins the cycle of my self-harm.
Slicing my wrists, carving my thighs,
Now my skin matches how I feel inside.

Cutting deeper than ever before,
I am frightened yet relieved as blood begins to pour.
I sit in this corner, drenched red
Wondering if somehow I’d be better off dead.

Tears stream down my pale face,
Feeling I simply don’t belong in any place.
I can’t be your perfect missing puzzle piece,
When I would give up this life just to have peace.

Completely full of pain and darkness,
I’m reunited with the one thing I do miss.
A butterfly flutters in with its wings of hope,
It settles on my wrist to help me cope.

No more cuts and no more scars,
Just a little butterfly who came from very far.
Love adorns its wings, reminding I’m never alone.
Able to smile now, I see how much I’ve grown.

New-found tears of joy shed from hurting eyes,
I’m happy I now have this savior, the butterfly.
I will protect it now and never let it die,
So that I may return the favor for saving my life.

Emergency Numbers That You Can Really Use!

Lest we forget sometimes that the Great Physician is really in control! A bit of prayer and faith goes a long way in the recovery and healing of our souls. Remember that!

                                                                         Source: hannicraft.blogspot.com via Theresa on Pinterest

An Experiment or Death by Strangulation

Another report about our deadly friend The choking game, still deadly, still here, not a trend, so get educated and stay educated on what you might be doing to your body.

credit:(dailyRx)

Reports, from the US and Canada, show that adolescents are experimenting with the ‘choking game’. Creating awareness of brain damage and accidental death may curb an adolescents interest.

It appears the choking game has been spreading across the nation for a few years.

A recent study assessed the choking game in Oregon’s eight-grade population. Researchers suggested spreading awareness of the risks and dangers to put an end to it.

Talk to your kids about choking risks.
Kenneth D. Rosenberg, MD, MPH, Robert J. Nystrom, MA, and Sarah K. Ramowski, MSW, from the Oregon Health Authority of the Public Health Division, teamed up with Julie Gilchrist, MD, and Nigel R. Chaumeton, PhD, from the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to look at the risks involved when eight-graders play the choking game.

The choking game is pretty simple. An individual or a group cuts off the blood flow to the brain or induces hyperventilation to generate a high.

The problems with the choking game are twofold: loss of oxygen to the brain kills brain cells, and accidental death from loss of oxygen or asphyxiation.

Oregon isn’t the only place where adolescents participate in the choking game. A recent study looked at accidental death from the choking game in Canada, while another investigated the prevalence of the choking game in Texas.

The Oregon Health Authority gathered data from 2009 on 5,348 eighth-graders. To get a full picture, the team asked about the prevalence and frequency of the individual’s choking game experience and, “included questions about physical and mental health, gambling, sexual activity, nutrition, physical activity/body image, exposure to violence, and substance use.”

Only 6.1 percent of both male and female eight-graders reported having ever participated in the choking game. Of those participants 64 percent had played more than once and 26.6 percent had played more than five times.

The research team found, “Among Oregon eight-graders surveyed, greater than 6% had ever participated in the choking game. Participation was linked to poor nutrition and gambling among females, exposure to violence among males, and sexual activity and substance use among both genders.”

Authors conclude, “The results of this study reveal that choking game participation clusters with other risk behaviors and is not an activity, among those studies, that is more likely to be found among high-achieving, low-risk-taking youth.”

Authors recommend awareness and intervention from parents, teachers and health care professionals to prevent or stop this behavior.

This study was published in the journal Pediatrics, May 2012. No external funding was provided and no conflicts of interest were disclosed.

More information and education here: www.ed4ed4all.com
Our team of educators and specialists in this area will be glad to help you, email me anytime if you know of someone that needs help or has questions about the choking game, our organization is also available for speaking engagements at schools, churches, clubs, etc. email me here ernursescare@charter.net

Leslie

So you think you need to die today?

Instead of that thought, how about thinking about getting some help first, there are people out there that do care about you and want you to live, I do, and I don't even

know who you are. I have been in your spot before, down, down, down with no 

light at the end of my tunnel, I thought. I instead got some help and moved on with 

my life. Thinking positive daily helps, plus a little medical help thru pharmacology.

Get Help Now

For Telephone support:
Here is a list of our hotlines in the US

(800)442-4673 .....1-800-442-HOPE

(877)838-2838 .....1-877-Vet2Vet Veterans peer support line

(800)784-2432 .....1-800-SUICIDA Spanish speaking suicide hotline

(877)968-8454 .....1-877-YOUTHLINE teen to teen peer counseling hotline

(800)472-3457 .....1-800-GRADHLP Grad student hotline

(800)773-6667 .....1-800-PPD-MOMS Post partum depression hotline

For a list of hotlines outside the US go here:
www.befrienders.org

For email support 24 x 7:
jo@samaritans.org
It may take a few hours or more to generate a response

For online chat support now:
(none of these are 24 x7 but will tell you if online counselors are available)

http://newhopeonline.org/counseling/liveperson.html
www.crisischat.org

http://www.kidshelp.com.au/teens/get-help/web-counselling
( only available in Australia)

For Reading:
There is a great book to read which is free and online called Suicide: The Forever Decision from the QPR Institute - Download it HERE 

During depression the world disappears. Language itself. One has nothing to say. Nothing. Kristin experienced this misery, yet still managed to touch many lives and even in death continues to help others find help for their depression.
The Kristin Brooks Hope Center was created to help those in crisis find help and hope immediately. The site and her story gives you a raw, personal glimpse into depression, and how it affects those around you. In addition, you will find the only clear, step-by-step path for you to follow out of the darkness. There is hope and you can feel happy again! If you need to speak with someone right now call: 

1.800.SUICIDE 

 (1.800.784.2433) 

Credit to The Kristin Brooks Hope Center webpage

Depression – Depression is a mental illness that is linked to physical changes that occur in the brain. Depression results from an imbalance of certain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, which are responsible for carrying signals in the brain and nerves. While there is no single cause of depression, there are many common factors that can lead to depression. Such factors as: family history, physical conditions, trauma/stress, and other psychological disorders.

Family History - Depression is one of many illnesses that can be passed on to individuals within a family for generations as a result of genetics. Genetics are responsible for all physical and biological traits, and are always inherited from one's parents.

Physical Conditions - Depression can result from the weakness and stress caused by serious medical conditions like cancer, HIV, or heart disease. Depression can actually increase the severity of such physical conditions, for it weakens the immune system and can make pain harder to tolerate.

Trauma/Stress - Traumatic or stressful experiences can drastically increase ones likelihood of becoming depressed. Changing schools, starting a new job, or dealing with the death of a family member are all extreme changes in ones life that can lead to depression.

Psychological Disorders - When one suffers from other psychological disorders such as anxiety, eating disorders, or substance abuse, depression can arise if these disorders go untreated, as a result of the stress that occurs from living with the illness.

Some Warning Signs of Depression:

•  Lack of interest in friends or social activities

•  Drastic changes in ones grades

•  Thoughts of running away

•  Alcohol or substance abuse

•  Fear of death

•  Frequent sadness

•  Problems sleeping

•  Changes in eating habits

•  Constant tiredness

•  Increased irritability

---

Grief/Loss- Grief is the feeling that you experience with the death of a loved one. Loss is the feeling that you experience when a significant absence or change occurs in your life, but isn't related to death. However, some losses may actually feel worse than a death, (which are the most misunderstood feelings of all). There are several indications of grief and loss, which include: shock, sadness, anger, guilt and sometimes, no feelings at all.

Shock - Shock is the feeling of surprise where you may wonder “why me?”

Sadness - Sadness is the feeling of sorrow where you will miss the person you have loved so much

Anger - Anger is the feeling of rage, where you may wonder “why did this person have to leave”

Guilt - Guilt is the feeling that you could have done something to change the situation, and you may say “I didn't say enough or do enough when the person was here”

No feelings - Sometimes, when the loss of a loved one is unexpected, you may feel confused and may not even know what to feel, or what to say. These feelings are normal and should not be confused with a dislike for the individual.

What you can do:

1. If you feel overwhelmed by grief or loss, are having difficulties getting back to a normal routine, or considering taking your own life because of your grief or loss, please make an attempt to get help and call 1-877 YOUTHLINE, or call 1-800 SUICIDE

2. Talk to an adult that you trust 

 

Learn the Warning Signs of Suicide  

 

Be aware of yourself, your friends, family and people around you,

You never know what kind of battle another person is facing daily

Walk a mile in their shoes first before you judge or talk about them

Hold your head up high and have positive thoughts

God does not make junk!!

You are loved!

Remember that!